Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Well, will you look at that! It turns out I had one last
story to tell for 2014. You see, last week, I was fortunate enough to get lots
of outdoor walking worked into my day because of Christmas vacation. Walking
outside does something to my brain, it wanders ­– in a good way – and that’s
usually when I start planning my next post. So, here we are.

As I was enjoying the sunshine, I started thinking about all
the posts that I've already written and what driving analogies I may have
missed. Then it dawned on me, with the new year starting and the images of
gyms, news articles and opinion pieces, Facebook memes and pretty much any ad
on TV or radio that inundates our subconscious with ideas that everyone’s New
Year’s Resolution is (or should be) weight-loss, I decided that I would dive
right into that saturated field and offer my own opinions on the subject.
Please note that everything I state here is strictly my opinion and I have
received no compensation for what I’m about to say!

For those who have decided that 2015 is going to be “The
Year” of successful weight loss, I would offer this suggestion: treat it like
Driver’s Ed. Before you went out to get your Driver’s License, you had to
become familiar with the car and the rules of the road. For many of us,
learning on our own or with the help of a parent was not enough, so we enrolled
in Driver’s Ed and used the support of the teacher and other classmates to help
us learn and eventually pass the test.

Starting this journey shouldn't be any different. There are
some people who are successful at losing weight without any outside assistance,
they are rare, but I don’t doubt they exist. I am not one of them. I need the
support and the tools of my Weight Watchers group to continue my success. Now,
I've changed a lot of habits over the years, so I’m not as dependent as I was
in the beginning, but the right group or program will allow you to spread your
wings. To be successful, you must be allowed to share, vent, support others, be
supported, make mistakes, learn from those mistakes and never stop growing.
Programs (like Weight Watchers or Shibboleth)
and retreats(such as Green Mountain at Fox Run)that focus on education and support seem to be
the most successful platforms.But
ultimately, the program that is successful for you is the one in which you want
to follow.

When you
learn the proper driving techniques from qualified instructors, your driving
record is usually better than someone who is just winging it. That’s not to say
that you won’t ever get a ticket or be in an accident, but at least you have
been given the tools to learn how to recognize the signs of dangerous road
conditions. These groups operate in much the same manner. Just by attending the
meetings doesn't guarantee that you will lose weight, you must take on the
responsibility to use what you learn and not expect it to come without hard
work. I realize that sounds a bit
preachy, and I typically try to keep everything here light-hearted, but I can’t
stress enough that it is ultimately up to you to be successful in your journey.
You can have the support of the entire planet, but you must be the one who puts
the key in the ignition and starts the car. Knowing that you have the support
of a driving instructor along for the ride should make things easier in the
beginning, but the instructor is only there to impart her knowledge, you must
be willing to absorb it and put it into action so that you take control of your
own vehicle. After a while, you may find that you've mastered some of the
techniques so well that you are willing to put yourself in the instructor’s
seat for those newbies that are about to hit the road with their New Year’s
Resolutions!

I hope that 2015 finds you happy and healthy and I encourage you all to enjoy your own Road Trip! You are worth the journey!

Monday, December 22, 2014

I’m sorry that I've been slacking, things are just crazy
busy for me! Trust me, it’s not that I’m not interested in keeping my eyes on
the road, I just haven’t had time to really focus on what matters, and that’s a
most unfortunate thing. But now, with Thanksgiving behind us, Hanukkah starting
last week, Christmas this week, culminating with the binge drinking
and binge eating event otherwise known as New Year’s Eve, I just figured it was
time to examine where I am on the map. After all, isn't the end of the year the
best time for reflection? Looking at where you've been this past year in order
to plan where you are going for next year.

I had to ask myself a few
questions:

Where
have I been? Well, in 2014, I logged about 1846 miles worth of walking this
year (with yet another week to go, I should end somewhere close to 1900 miles),
hit my goal weight, had my story featured on CNN.com, appeared on the TV
show “The Doctors” and was interviewed for Fitwoman.com, so all in all, 2014 was
a great year.

Where
am I going? No one knows what the future holds, but I do know that I will
be focusing more on my passion in 2015. This weight loss journey has not only
inspired the birth of this blog, but it has also given me the spark I need to
put myself out there as a writer. I expect that spark to grow into a much
larger, brighter flame this upcoming year. I will most definitely be making time
to nurture that spark in 2015!

How do
I keep moving forward? It’s not easy to stay on track, especially this time
of year, but there are little reminders—road signs, if you will— that I come across on my journey. It’s
those little signs that help me stay focused. For instance, at my meeting this
past Saturday, one of my awesome meeting friends gave me a custom Christmas card
telling me how I inspire her to continue on. It was the best feeling, knowing
that what I've done, and continue doing, helps others. When I started back in
2011, my goal wasn't to inspire others, I was lucky if I could inspire myself,
but as I have attested many times right here on this blog, I get my inspiration
from those who surround me. That is how I keep moving
forward!

How do I navigate these
holidays? I can’t believe it, but the Holiday season will be over before
long and knowing that I have the tools and trusting in the awareness to keep my
eyes on the road ahead is what helps me stay the course. One thing Margie the
Magnificent is fond of saying is “they are called ‘HoliDAYS’, not ‘HoliMONTHS’!”
Meaning, we are allowed to celebrate the day, but don’t let it continue on
for the entire month of Octovember (also known as October, November and
December)! We've all worked too long and too hard for a derailment this close to
the end of the year.

I've found that self-reflection
and self-awareness always seem to be my two best road trip buddies. Usually, I
typically lose focus when I ignore who I am and what I’m doing. Self-doubt
and self-recrimination are the worst possible traveling companions for any
journey. The best thing I've ever done was leave those two along the side of the
road somewhere, and never look back. Besides, I just didn't have enough room in the
car to keep carrying them along.

How will you answer the
questions? Will you be able to find your spark in the new year? That is my
Christmas wish for you...live your passion and may you never have a wasted
day.

I most likely will not be posting
again until next year, so to all of you out there, have a very Merry Christmas
and a brilliant and blessed New Year!

Friday, November 21, 2014

So, way back when, as one of my
earliest blog posts, I discussed how speeding
isn't necessary. I remember that I wrote that, but so much has happened in
the nearly 2 years since that post, that I had to go back and re-read it to
ensure that I didn't repeat myself. While revisiting that stop along the Road
Trip, it occurred to me that I really should go back and revisit my entire
journey. Especially right now, with the holidays looming and end-of-year
reminiscing, it just made sense that now is the time to look back. As the old
saying goes, “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

I started this blog as a means of
chronicling my struggles and successes, my trials and triumphs as I embarked on
the (seemingly) overwhelming task of losing half my body weight. Now that I've
achieved that goal, I continue to find little things along the way that inspire
something down deep inside that I feel I should share. One such tidbit came
from an unexpected source. As some of you know, my story was featured on CNN,
and since then, I have been blessed with many opportunities, including being
interviewed by FitWoman.com
and even appearing on a segment of “The
Doctors.” As it turns out, the unexpected source of inspiration came when
someone from CNN reached out and asked if I would be interested in doing a
follow up “Where Are They Now?” type story for January. It would coincide with
people making New Year’s Resolutions.I
sent back a quick response indicating that I would love to be a part of the New
Year’s Resolution story and jotted down a quick piece of advice that I would
offer someone making such a resolution: It’s not a resolution for a New Year,
it’s a resolution for a New You. As soon as those words were staring back at
me, I knew I had to translate that idea into a stop along my Road Trip.

As
you are driving along the interstate, it is tempting to want to hang out in the
far left lane– the fast lane, as it were– in order to get where you’re going as
fast as you can. It seems like a logical thought, but you can go too fast. When
I talk about a New You Resolution, what I really mean is that thinking about
the diet as a temporary activity will more than likely end in disappointment. For
someone to get the desiredresults, it takes
more than a casual “it’s a new year, I should lose some weight” passing
thought. It takes a core desire to change what you've done your entire life and
try something new. After all, if you want to be something you've never been,
you have to do something you've never done. Overhauling your mind and body is
not something to speed through. It took me 2 ½ years to hit goal and I learned
a lot about myself during that time. If I had stayed in the left lane, pedal to
the metal, there is no doubt I would have lost the weight faster, but I also
may have gotten distracted and lost focus of the final goal. I’m not saying I wouldn't have been successful, but slowing down and appreciating the changes
that I made helped me change old habits and create new ones. No one is timing
you on your progress, so there is no need to rush through it. People often want instant gratification, but proper and
healthy weight loss is not something that can be, nor should be, done
overnight. It’s a long slow journey, but it is worth every mile!

Sunday, November 9, 2014

OK, so you know when you’re cruising along, hitting traffic
lights with ease, there are minimal cars on the road and your road trip seems
to be going along swimmingly. And then, all of the sudden, a traffic jam of
biblical proportions halts you in your tracks. Yeah, that happens, trust me.

As much as I’d like to believe it, this journey can’t all be
about sunshine and rainbows. At some point, the storm clouds are going to roll
in and there is going to be a serious traffic delay that causes me to rethink whether
or not I should stay the course. Now, depending on when this stall takes place will
dictate how much of an introspective conversation I will need to have. If the
delay is merely miles outside of my destination, I think it’s a no-brainer that
a few extra minutes sitting in traffic is no big deal. However, if there is a
major road closure right as I’m starting out? Well, then it’s time for me to
seriously analyze what I want to accomplish.

Throughout this journey, I really don’t know if I have made
it clear that this task is not easy. That was the impetus behind this blog.
Knowing it’s not easy, knowing that it takes a little something extra to
achieve was why I wanted to write everything down and put my story out there.
There were plenty of times I wanted to quit and maybe plenty of times that I
almost did, but I realized that the quitting behavior is what I’d always done.
And isn't the clinical definition of insanity doing the same thing over and
over while expecting a different result? If you want something you've never
had, you must choose to do something you've never done. To me, that is the
polar opposite of insanity.

Deciding to quit is nothing new for people. Deciding to
succeed, there’s where we tread into unexplored territory. So, when you come up
on your traffic jam, decide if you will take the same, tired way back home or
venture on the road less travelled. The fork in the road is before you, and it is
up to you to decide which way is going to take you to your ultimate
destination.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

OK, so I know that I have talked about “Road Rage”
in the past, but that was mainly about anonymous hating focused on people whom
I have never met simply trying to live their lives. I want to address the
reckless drivers out there who pose a specific threat to my personal journey.
There is no doubt that the internet offers a certain level of anonymity that
has been the downfall of basic human kindness. I guess it’s the internet. I’d
prefer not to think that the bully mentality that is so prevalent today is not
because Homo sapiens suck, in general, as a species.

Anyway, as I was saying, I’ve dragged my soap box out previously to discuss
how people can bash random people for being “chunky” or “fat” or any other
derogatory term that indicates someone doesn’t meet the
impossible standards that Hollywood— in it’s infinite wisdom— has set for
how women should look. What I never expected to be discussing was how I have
suddenly been subjected to some of this anonymous, random internet trolling (I
believe a radio show known as The Kane Show
refers to it as the 1% Effect: no matter how positive a story, there’s
1% of the population that will still find something negative to say.)

When the story of my journey was published on CNN’s website and then,
subsequently, around the world, I never dreamed that I would be reading
negative comments about me. What I’ve come to realize through this entire
ordeal is that I am a much stronger person than I could have imagined. Reading
what these reckless drivers are saying actually amuses me and spurs me on to
continue to succeed. People who say I will gain all my weight back in a year
because diets don’t work or those who think it’s so easy to lose 150+ pounds
and they don’t understand why it took me 2 1/2 years. Really? While I
would really like to address each and every naysayer, I realized...who
cares what they think? They are just sitting at their keyboards, hating their
own lives hoping to lash out at any success that they see in hopes of
derailing, or emotionally stunting, the ones who have had the success. Well,
guess what? It’s not gonna work! Much like keeping a weary eye on the driver
who is weaving in and out of traffic, with little regard to his own safety or
that of the other drivers on the road around him, I will have to learn to be
vigilant, keep my eyes wide open and stay alert and shake it off. I never, in a
million years, thought I would understand where Taylor Swift was coming from!

Who knows if there will be more spotlights shining on me in the future. If
there are, then that means more detractors. As long as I learn my lesson now, I
should be able to navigate the crazy drivers that are sure to be on
the road ahead and make sure that I stay clear of any collisions that they may
cause.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Over the years, one thing I've learned about
driving is that you have to maintain control of your vehicle. Whether it’s
staying (relatively) within the speed limit, not texting and driving or keeping
it on the road and between the lines, it makes for a much safer journey when you
have everything under control. And just as I had to learn my road lessons
through repetition and experience, I am learning that maintaining control of my
physical vehicle is going to take patience and time.

It would be wonderful if I could just get up
every day and not have to think about what I’m doing to maintain my healthy
lifestyle, but that’s not the case. I certainly don’t want anyone reading this
to think that any part of this experience has been easy. Getting started was
tough, losing the weight was difficult and maintaining has certainly given me
moments where I felt I could lose control. But, I've also learned that I am the
one who has to remain in the driver’s seat, as being a passenger, by it’s very
definition, means I would be surrendering the control.

The biggest lesson in this experience is that
life will present us with challenges at every opportunity and we have to face
them, like staring down a fire-breathing dragon. Sometimes we have to run and
hide from the dragon and sometimes we win the battle, but it’s important to come
back ready to fight after those times where we don’t win. As long as you are
the one in control of getting back in the fight, you will always come out on
top.

People often ask me how I deal with the
“food-pushers” or the “saboteurs”. This is how I do it...knowing that I have to
be the one who maintains control of my vehicle. If I were to allow others to
take over, I would be at their mercy and there is no telling where I’d end up.
Remember, this is your journey. Why would you allow someone else to be in
control of it?

Saturday, September 27, 2014

So many things have happened over the last week, that there are no words!

Since the CNN Article was published, my life has been a near constant blur. But, I wouldn't change it for the world! I started my journey to be healthy and this blog to give me an outlet to talk about the pit stops as well as the green lights along the way. The interest that everyone is taking in my story is incredible, overwhelming and encouraging. I was even given the opportunity to talk with Fitwoman.com about my life changing experience (you can find a link to the interview HERE).

The road is wide open for me and I am trying to soak it all in. I also want to thank everyone who has been reading the blog all along and welcome those of you who may have just found it. I am excited to continue my Road Trip and can't wait to see where the journey takes me!

Sunday, September 21, 2014

First, I know, I know...it’s been a while. Maybe I've been "Broken Down on the Side of the Road" or took too much time "Hanging at a Rest Stop". Either way, I know I
have neglected the Road Trip and, for that, I apologize. I've realized that I
really have to consider an oil change or tire rotation, something that’s
maintenance, but will keep my car safely on the road. So, what have I been doing
lately? Well, believe it or not, while I may not have been putting it in words,
I've been living the road trip and working on maintenance. And I was reminded of that fact just this
weekend, when I was asked to speak at two different Weight Watchers meetings. It was a little nerve-wracking. After all, I do have speech anxiety,
but I’m working on that!

Anyway, as I was saying, not only did I have the privilege of speaking to
my friends at my normal WW group, but I was also asked to make a guest
appearance at another meeting. The nerve-wracking part isn't thinking about what
I’m going to say, that just kinda comes naturally. It’s when I stop and think
about the hope and dreams that people place in me, real or imagined, that makes
me nervous. But when I sit and think about it, I realize that I’m just human and
I’m just me and that’s what draws people to me when I do these things. They see
in me someone who has succeeded in a long and difficult journey. They see hope
and they see that there are people who can make this program work. It’s not just
about some celebrity on a TV commercial, I’m a real person standing in front of
them. And it’s overwhelming. What people don’t understand is that when I speak
to them, whether one on one or as a group, it’s like pulling up to a gas
station. I get more fuel to continue my journey. So, while I am grateful if
people are inspired by me, I am even more grateful and motivated by the fact that they continue to inspire me.

As I've always maintained, this journey was never about being skinny or
pretty or hot, it's always been about being healthy, Knowing that society still puts too
much emphasis on being young, thin and emaciated, just proves that I must remember that society and real life are
two very different worlds. What is truly important is blood pressure, cholesterol,
blood sugar, reduction of expensive medications and the ability to walk to your
mail box with out being out of breath. Who cares what size clothes you wear and
who says that thin is in? Make your own road and take as long as you need to get
there with as many stops as you desire. Gas, food, stretching or even sleeping.
It’s your journey...don’t let anyone be a back seat driver, but make sure you
keep plenty of supporting passengers along for the ride.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Have you ever driven somewhere so many times that you could
do it with your eyes closed? Well, maybe not closed, but you know what I mean.
Have you ever found yourself at a destination with no real memory of actually
making the drive? Not because your memory was impaired, but because the route
was so intimately familiar that you didn't have to think about it, you just
went through the motions, and – voilà – destination reached!

Believe it or not, I just had that experience on an
eight-hour ride! You wouldn't think that a trip that long could go by in a
blur, but it did. Not that I wasn't paying attention, I was, but the time just
seemed to fly by (of course, time is doing that a lot lately). Anyway, what I
realized as I was making my trek northward, is that sometimes you have to go
back to the beginning of your road trip to find the raison d'être- rediscover
that spark, if you will- to discover why you are even on the journey at all.

You see, ever since I hit my goal, I've been struggling with
the mental transition from losing to staying. After two and a half years of
losing weight, I still feel bad if I maintain. But that’s the point of hitting
“goal”…maintaining. So, as I started out of my driveway, it dawned on me that
this is my first road trip since hitting the magic number. And even though the
literal drive would be the same, I had the opportunity to view the figurative
one through different eyes.

So, I've always said that my “road trip” would never end, I
would just keep changing destinations, but I think now I've realized that the
destination will always be the same, but the course I choose to get there will
actually be different. While losing weight, I needed to focus on reaching the
small milestones along the way (and Weight Watchers is fabulous at helping
people celebrate those small, but significant, achievements). Upon hitting my
goal, I needed to take a few steps back, look at how far I've come and then get
back in the car and do it all again. And as with all road trips, just when you
think you can’t take it anymore, can’t be in the car for one more second, you
realize you are right where you are supposed to be at that moment in time. For
some reason, that realization allows you to keep focus on the task at hand and
helps with the overwhelming sensation that the road is too long, the journey
too difficult. Once you realize how much you have given of yourself to be at
that point, it should put everything in perspective ­– nothing is as long and
difficult as what is already behind you.

So, what I discovered on my literal road trip, is that I
shouldn't dread what’s ahead of me, it will be over before I know it and I
should just enjoy the drive, scenery, music and everything that comes with the
ride along the way. No fretting, I've done it before, and I know I will do it
again, I just have to keep learning something new with every trip so that I don’t
get bored. Staying the course is not an option, only changing it along the way
will keep me challenged.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

OK, I get it, it’s been a minute since I have posted
anything. Many of you may have thought I’d abandoned this road trip since I hit
my goal. Well, rest assured, I haven’t. Getting to my goal was only the first
part of my journey. I will be on this excursion for the rest of my life, and I
look forward to the adventure that awaits me.

So, now that I have the reassurances out of the way that I
am still alive and well, I wanted to get on with the bur under my saddle– the
nail in my tire, so to speak– that inspired a soap-box moment on Facebook last
night: the media still doesn't understand women and the struggle we all go
through in order to feel accepted by our peers and by society. And really, now
that we are generations removed from the Marilyn Monroe/Jean Harlow glory days where
real women had curves and looked like women instead of 13 year old boys, why
should I expect that the media would be accepting of a woman who breaks the
mold. You know, the mold of someone who only drinks water (but not too much,
for fear of retaining it), might eat a celery stick and smokes plenty of
cigarettes to keep her mind off of starving herself. The kind of girl who
presents a completely unnatural, impossible ideal of what is expected of women.
While I don’t have any real statistics, I could guess that only about 3% of
American women fit the media’s perception of what the perfect woman is: 0% body
fat, 5’10” (or taller), around 100 lbs. Who knows, maybe that percentage is a
little high, maybe it’s way off, but what I can tell you is that probably 95%
of that 3% live in Hollywood, the other 5% are probably in an eating-disorder
clinic.

What, you may be asking yourself, brought on this rant? Well,
I’ll tell you…it was an interview I saw with Miss Indiana. She made quite the
splash at the recent Miss USA pageant because, according to media outlets, she
has a “normal” body type. Normal…let that sink in for a minute. So, does that
mean there is, on some level, an understanding that the other girls in the
competition aren't normal? Let’s consider a few things here:

She may be normal and a hit on social media, but her
Bikini Scores weren't high enough to allow her to move into the Top 10
finalists (judges message: she’s too fat)

She’s 5’8”, weighs 137 lbs. and is a size 4 (really, that’s
normal?)

She is, on average, 25 pounds heavier than the other
girls in the competition

What is the message we are sending the young girls sitting
in front of the TV watching this spectacle? Well, it seems to be “if you are a
size 4, you are too fat to win a beauty pageant.” I’m still trying to wrap my
head around the fact that a size 4 is “normal”.

I mentioned Marilyn and Jean earlier, and I must go back and
elaborate on them for a minute. Back in the day, they were considered “Blonde
Bombshells” with curves that went on for days! When you looked at them, you
couldn't count their ribs or you didn't fear that they might fall over from
exhaustion, dehydration or starvation with their next step. No, they were real
women and they looked like women. And what’s really amazing is, even today, if
you have a picture of a Victoria’s Secret Angel next to the iconic picture of
Marilyn in the white dress over the street vent and you show them to a random
selection of men, guess which one they will choose? But put the same two pictures
in front of women and ask them which one they would prefer to emulate, and I
bet the results would be disappointing, yet not shocking.

But, my final realization in all of this is that
it doesn't matter what you weigh, what size you are as long as you are healthy.
Happy is a side-effect of healthy and if you can be healthy at 5’8” and 137
lbs., go for it. If you can be healthy and happy at 5’6” and 160, go for it.
But don’t let society dictate what is “normal” because then the world would be
a very boring place. So be abnormal and live your own life, that’ll teach’em!

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Do you know that feeling, after a long road trip, of being so close to the
end of your journey that your brain goes into auto-pilot? Where you know every
little nuance of the road your travelling, every pot hole, every stop sign,
every car parked in the street. And then, just when you thought you were going
to be able to sail through to the end, one of those pot holes has turned into a
sink hole and there is a big detour sign sending you out of the way. So now,
you've been on this road trip and you can see your destination, but you have to
take one last detour to get around one last obstruction.

Well, that’s what happened to me trying to hit my WW goal. I was so close
to reaching my target number last week, but it just wasn't in the cards. I was
.4 pounds (that’s 4/10 of one pound, less than half a pound) away from it last
week. But it might as well have been a sink hole in the middle of my road.
However, since I've learned a thing or two on this ride, I kept my head held
high, continued doing what’s gotten me this far and took that extra little time—
that little detour— and I made it to my destination this week! I've lost 150
pounds in almost 2 1/2 years and it has been the most incredible journey of my
life.

I really thought I wouldn't be overcome with emotion when I hit that goal.
I figured since I've been pretty honest and open about my “road trip”, that it
wouldn't require much self-reflection. Boy, was I wrong! I was emotional,
everyone in the group was super excited for me and my Dad made a special guest
appearance at the meeting yesterday, all which added up to a pretty emotional
moment!! That group, led by Margie, has played (and will continue to play) a
huge role in my success. I couldn't have done it without them. My friends and
family were also instrumental in keeping me on the path. They were the best Road
Trip Buddies anyone could ask for! A huge “Thank You” to everyone who has been
riding in the car with me all along and helping me stay focused on the
road.

If you think this is the end of my blog and my stories, you are wrong. This
is only the beginning! With every road trip, there’s always the return home! I
think that journey will be just as inspiring as the one that brought me here.
So, I hope that anyone who has tuned in over the last year or so, will continue
to do so. I know that I have inspired others, and to those of you, I say “thank
you”! My one best piece of advice is to believe in yourself. No matter what you
are looking to accomplish, start with the belief that you will succeed. As I've
said on here before, if it’s easy, it’s not worth doing; if it’s worth doing,
it’s not easy.

Friday, February 7, 2014

So, now that I am less than a mile from my destination, it's just dawned on
me that I am driving a convertible now. While I may have started in an armored
tank with no windows, I am now in a top-down, wind-in-my-hair convertible. So,
in the beginning, I was closed up to the world and not willing to talk about me
or my situation. Now, however, people approach me all the time and ask questions
and want to talk to me about the success I have had over the last 2+ years. What
is even more surprising is my willingness to answer the questions and the
excitement that I feel when I discuss my journey. Just yesterday, I was interviewed by
a local news station so that I could tell my story and help encourage others
to start their own journey. It is amazing to think that I have not only
physically transformed, but have emotionally transformed as well.

The thing about changing from a tank to convertible during the road trip is
significant because proves just how far I have come in this trek. It's not about
a flashing neon sign that says "look at me, look at how wonderful I am", but
rather "look at what I have accomplished. If I can do it, so can you." If
sharing my story entertains, encourages or otherwise enlightens someone, than I
will consider my mission a success. I started losing weight to be healthy and
now I do what I do because it's fun (yes, Bonnie and April, aliens have indeed
snatched me from above). I started this blog because I needed an outlet for the
emotions I was feeling, now I do it because it's fun.

Being in self-preservation mode—riding around in a tank—did keep people
from peering in at me, but it also prevented me from looking out at the world.
Now that I've got the top down and cruise control set to my destination, I am
able to see the beauty that is out in the world. It's really a shame that I
didn't allow myself the opportunity to take-in my surroundings, but it's never
too late to start enjoying life. What good is it to be young if you aren't
experiencing anything life truly has to offer? On the flip side, who cares how
long you've been on this planet as long as you are enjoying every second you are
alive?

As I mentioned, I am nearly at the end of this odyssey. Of course, with any
long road trip, you eventually have to get off the expressway and on to the side
roads. That not only signifies that you have to slow down, but it also means
that you've almost made it. Me, I know that I've almost made it and I can't wait
to get out and stretch my legs a bit. I also can't wait to see where my next
adventure is going to take me.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

You know when you get so close to your destination, that nothing will stand
in your way? You need gas, but you have enough to get you there; you need to
pee, but you can hold it; you need to rest, but you’re wide awake? Well, that’s
where I am right now. I am so close to my goal, I can feel it. The end is in
site. I have been talking about the end of this road trip since the beginning. I
knew the day would come, but I find it hard to believe that day is in site. As
much as I would like to speed ahead and get there faster, I know that I still
have to maintain the speed limit. Nothing would suck more than to get pulled
over and delayed at this point in the journey. No, I have to keep doing what’s
gotten me to this point— stay the course.

I have been on the road for so long that it just has become second nature.
And really, when I think about it, I feel that’s why I've been successful. I
didn't do anything crazy, I just lived. And for all of the living that I have
done over the last 2+ years, there is no reason to change anything now. If I
show up to the dance with the Prom King, why would I change partners at the last
minute? I wouldn't, I would (and should) stay with the one who brought me to the
Ball. This is the life I am living now. My old life is the past, and chances are
good that I didn't have much of a future had I stayed on that path. Things are
different now. I am different now. I just need to keep moving forward. I realize
that theme has surfaced many times here, but it’s true. Why would I want to stay
in one place, when the world around me continues to move?

Sometimes, as I think about this journey, I’m reminded of going to my
Grandparents’ house on Lake Lanier. GA 400 used to end at their exit (or was it
that their exit was at the end of 400?) Whatever the case, I knew we were
getting close to the exit because I saw the flashing caution signs. I knew that
the road would be ending soon. But you know what? We got off 400 and went on
another road. That’s what this road trip is about and what the future holds. The
orange flashing lights are in site, but once I get there, I need to exit and get
on another road. Who knows where that road will lead, but who cares? The future
is a blank page, an unwritten book. It’s about damn time I sat down and put some
words on that page!